


The Light at the End

by ProfSledge



Category: The Pacific (TV)
Genre: F/M, I really really really love Joseph Mazzello, and I hope you all love this so much, because I really love this a ton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 18:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 22,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8811286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProfSledge/pseuds/ProfSledge
Summary: You have always been extremely close to Eugene Sledge and Sidney Phillips.  You grew up in Mobile, you went to school together, and now you are going to war with them.  However, you start off as a naval nurse before your schooling credentials get you bumped up a naval doctor and eventually a combat medic surgeon.  Due to your time on the front lines with the Marines in the Pacific Theater, you slowly find yourself becoming an honorable Marine and less than a Sailor.  You go in with Sidney and you come out with Eugene, making sure their both safe and sound throughout the war, doing whatever you have to to make sure they're alive and in one piece.





	1. Mobile

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift to all of my fellow HBO War friends and as a temporary goodbye gift as I go off into the US Military. Also, I apologize for ALL grammar mistakes. When I published this, I had to edit it as quickly as possible so that means I might've skipped over a ton of issues. And this was 48 pages in my google docs...

You walked quickly down the Sledge’s long driveway upon hearing about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Your heels kicked up the pebbles that adorned the ground. You were still wearing your nurses’ uniform, all white with stockings with pearl white shoes. On your shoulder hung your small brown purse, death-gripped by your hand. You could hear Deacon barking up a storm from the yard. Then as the barking got louder, you looked into the yard and saw Eugene standing there with a ball in his hand, playing fetch with Deacon (up until you showed up).

“Y/N?” Eugene asked, quickly dropping the ball and running to you. You diverted your path into the grass, not worrying about your white shoes getting stained, staring at him worried.

“Did you hear, Gene?” You asked. He stared at you before looking at the front porch of his house. His mother was standing there holding her handkerchief to her face.

“What’s going on?” He asked, looking back at you.

“Pearl Harbor’s been hit.” You said, looking at his mother on the porch. He, too, looked at her before the two of you ran to her quickly.

“It’s already on the radio.” Mrs. Sledge spoke as you two ran past her and into the house, straight to the living room. Mr. Sledge sat on the couch in silence, listening to the radio intently. The two of you stood in the archway side-by-side listening. The entire Naval Base of Pearl Harbor was in flames. People were dying from fire and bullets. You stood there silently with the rest of the Sledge family, listening to the radio before Mr. Sledge cut it off and stood up.

“God bless our boys…” He trailed off before excusing himself from the room. You felt your arm get gripped with a hand. It was Eugene and you looked up at him, noticing his eyes concentrating on the ground.

“If we’re in a war, Y/N. I’m joining.” He looked over at you. You felt your heart sink before looking around to see you two were alone. You took your free hand and placed it on his cheek, pulling him up to look at you.

“Gene… I can’t lose you. If this is what the Japanese plans to do--” You were cut off by him removing your hand from his cheek.

“Y/N. I want to serve my country. I will do anything to protect it and it’s people.” He let go and stared at the ground. “And that includes you. I’ll feel guilty if I stay behind, cowering away.” He said, looking at you. Your eyes were watery and without another second, you turned around and quickly left the house, running. 

As you left, you immediately ran straight into the other member of your friendship trio, Sidney Phillips. He stopped you and looked at you, wiping your tears away.

“Whoa, Y/N. What’s going on?” Sid asked. You looked at him and then noticed a bandage on his arm.

“You joined, didn’t you.” You said softly. Sidney let go of you and nodded slowly.

“I had to. It was my duty.” He said before looking behind you. You figured out Eugene was standing there, watching you two have a moment. You quickly walked past the two and turned around, letting tears fall once you knew you were going to snap at them.

“You two don’t understand what you are doing! You two are selfish and you should know what happens to soldiers during war time. Go ask your father, Gene. Go, right now. Go ask him what it was like to treat victims during the Great War. Because you two are going to come back different if not dead. And to think that in a couple of years that I will be alone without you two scares the living heavens out of me.” You panted before turning on your heel and quickly walking down the driveway to head home.

You made it home and greeted your family before running to your room, locking yourself in it. Your mother knocked on the door and entered, staring at you.

“Dear, did the boys tell you they’re joining?” She asked. You laid face down on your bed with your shoes, hat, and purse still on.

“Yeah.” You muffled though the pillow. Your mother walked over to you and sat on your bed, patting your back, calming you down almost instantly.

“You know they’re going to do it on their own accord. The government created the draft that’ll snatch men up for this.” She said. You flipped your head over and looked at her. She smiled sadly, but reassuringly. You sat up, taking your extra accessories off and letting your hair down. Your mother ran her hand through your hair and smiled at you.

“Mother… What if they don’t come back?” You asked. Her hand stopped moving and she removed it shortly after.

“They’re going to be okay.” She told you. You shook your hand and looked at her.

“You don’t know that.” You shouted before standing up before crying hard. You had been friends with both Sidney and Eugene since you could walk. Your parents had met at church and you happened to be next door neighbors to the Sledge family (even though your house was half a mile down the road). But now, all of that could be taken away.

Your mother stood up and hugged you in silence, letting you cry on her shoulder. You and Eugene had graduated high school the year before, allowing you to go to medical school as well as be a nurse to get your residency time in. Today, they let all the residency nurses like yourself off once the war had been announced.

You looked at your mother once the tears stopped.

“I’m going to join.” You stated. Your mother tilted her head.

“Deary, ladies can only be medical personnel.” She said before she realized what she said.

“I know. I’m going to join and make sure that if Eugene or Sidney needs medical attention, I’m there to give it to them.” You said. Your mother smiled and nodded.

“Alright. I know you’ll be safe.”


	2. Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter, for Eugene, seems out of character but I based his personality off of how he acted around Sidney since the reader and him are as close as he is to Sidney.

The next couple of weeks passed and you worked normally and Sidney was off to bootcamp. You and Eugene bid him farewell at the train station where he, among many other men in Mobile, boarded and left for what might be the last time. The train left and Eugene looked at you saddened.

“I still can’t join.” He said as you two turned around and headed for home. His hands were tucked into his pockets and to cheer him up, you placed your arm through the opening his made and walked close to him, bumping into him once in awhile.

“Well that means you’ll be here with me then.” You laughed a bit. You got a small chuckle out of Eugene. He playfully bumped into you with his hip.

“Yeah, well I guess this also means I have you to myself.” He joked around. It made you blush and you looked to him. He stared around at the town you two walked through before looking at you. You quickly looked away and removed your arm, laughing a bit. He smiled to himself before grabbing you again.

“Come on, let’s go get some food. I bet you’re starving.” He said. The new Eugene was a wild man and you didn’t know what to do with yourself other than enjoy it while it lasted. When the two of you made it to the restaurant, you felt guilt overcome you. Eugene noticed this after you two ordered a couple of drinks.

“Are you not hungry?” He asked you. You stared at the menu, but you weren’t looking at it. You shook your head and looked up at him, putting on a fake smile.

“No,” You lost the smile, realizing you had to tell him one day because he would never forgive you if you said nothing. “I enlisted as a combat nurse for the Navy.” You looked down at the menu and then back at him. His mouth was open and his eyes were filled with fear and sorrow.

“Y/N… You. You yelled at me and Sidney when we said we were going to enlist,” his opened mouth turned into a frown. “And this is what you go and do.” He inhaled sharply.

“It’s not what you think, Gene.” You spoke up, hoping he would at least listen and not get so mad he left you alone in the diner.

“Then what is it about?” He asked, whispering so he wouldn’t cause a scene. 

“If you two were going to go overseas and risk your life,” you paused a bit, trying not to let a tear fall. “I wanted to be there for you two if you got injured. I wanted to make sure you two would be alive by the time the war was over.” You looked at him. His frown turned into a small smile and when the waitress came over to take their order, many of the other customers were taking secret glances.

Eugene ordered for the two of you, getting both of you a cheeseburger and a basket of fries to share. When your food finally came, you lifted your coke bottles and cheered, toasting to Sidney for being the first to leave. The quick lunch ended in Eugene throwing fries at you and you trying to catch every single one he threw, keeping a score of eating 4 out of 5 thrown. 

You and Eugene paid your portion before leaving and thanking the diner. The walk home was quiet and you noticed Eugene becoming distant. You looked at him in hopes of him speaking his mind but your eyes did not provoke him. He dropped you off in front of your house and he interrupted you when you went to thank him and leave him.

“When do you leave?” He asked. You looked down at the ground and back up at him.

“One week. I’ll write to you while I’m away. Please expect letters from me.” You smiled sincerely. He nodded and couldn’t help but smile.

“You have a lot of faith in me getting into the Marines. Especially with my condition.” He spoke up. You stepped off of your porch and pointed to his chest.

“I do have a lot of faith, Gene. And I know I will see you on my journey,” you removed your finger. “I feel it in my gut.”

The week passed and Eugene took you out and spent as much time as he could with you, whether it was at your house for dinner, at church praying to God that the three of you would be safe when the war was over, or in town going on unofficial dates. Eugene dropped you off at the train station with your family by your side. You wore your normal, everyday clothing and you held a suitcase full of very basic necessities. Each of your family members gave you a hug and left you alone with Eugene to give him a hug as well. 

“I’ll see you soon, Gene.” You told him. He smiled and gave you one last hug before you rushed onto the train, taking your seat. You placed your luggage above your seat and look out the window. Your family had already left, but Eugene stayed. He was wearing a loose, white shirt that blew in the soft wind and his ginger hair tousled. He stood with his hands in his pockets, clearly making eye contact with you. You waved and received one back. And you blew a kiss before you couldn’t see each other.

You immediately pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down what you were feeling.

“Dear Eugene, 

As I pulled out of the train station to head off into distant lands and possibly into battle, I felt a huge weight place itself on my heart. It was not here for when my brother left for the Army. It was not here for when Sidney left for the Marines. It was for you when I left you behind. Whether it was because I left you alone in Mobile or because I knew you would be worried about me and Sidney, I know one thing right now. My heart is telling me that without you near me, I am scared. But that does not mean I won’t fight alongside the other soldiers. It means that I hope we all can come back home safe and sound. It also means that, with a lot of courage, I love you.

Yours Truly, Y/N”


	3. Stationed

You placed the note into your inside breast pocket of your official uniform you had during training. It was not the sort of training the men had, but you did have some physical aspect to the job. You were taught to carry stretchers and you were taught to carry men the way men carried others. On top of the physical, you were taught basic first aid and various psychological things that would calm a soldier down when they were brought to you. Those who had no training whatsoever was sent to a different wing to learn how to properly be a nurse. Those who, like you, had training were sent to the opposite wing to learn high medical training. Things like how to inject morphine and how to properly bandage a severely wounded man. Things the other untrained nurses would learn soon.

Your camp lasted about six weeks (while the untrained nurses stayed for two more weeks) and you were given your official uniforms. They were white like the ones you wore at work. The only different was your cap had a the caduceus symbol with an anchor on it and you had chevrons on your sleeves identifying rank. You had a name badge that had the first initial with your last name as well as your naval ranking. It felt very official and you loved everything about it.

You were shipped out to the Pacific Theater to go help out various Marine Divisions. You didn’t remember which division Sidney is, but you prayed every day (even after you got to the Pacific) that you would see Sidney soon. In your free time, you would write to Eugene and send a few letters at a time, knowing how long they would take to get to him.

“Dear Eugene,

I miss you and Sidney very much. I have been stationed in the Pacific and I am hoping to God that I see Sidney soon. I miss home and I know by just having Sid by my side would help cure my homesickness. Though, if you were here as well, we all know that home would be here in the godforsaken jungle. 

As a battlefield nurse, I have seen more blood than I have ever imagined seeing. Men have come in with bullet holes the size of Texas in every part of their body. I’ve seen burn marks so bad that we had to use dog tags to identify the man. I pray that each and every man I have seen comes out alive and that one of them will never be Sidney or you when you get here. Though I have seen death and I have been here for close to a month now. Several men have died during the first week when the Japanese planned a surprise attack on the Marines. They are nasty fighters and I hope the Marines are just as feisty. 

Yours Truly, Y/N”

When mail call finally came during dinner, you received two letters. One from your family and one from Eugene. You opened your family’s letter and noticed the date was from three weeks ago. You read it quickly, reading about the war over in Europe and how your older brother was sending looted gifts home all the time. The next letter was Eugene’s. His handwriting was fairly neat and you ran your fingers all over it, knowing that he held it once.

“ Dear Y/N, 

Mobile is very different without you and Sidney. The town isn’t as lively as it could be and I know that if you two were back home, there would be massive havoc to deal with. I remember when you and Sidney stole firecrackers and set them off in the fountain that sits in my front yard. It gave my mother a heart attack and it was quite the show to see. I don’t know why I’m thinking of this right now, but I wish we could have those fun times back.

I hope you have found Sidney and I wish you would tell him that I said hello. Mother also says hello to both you and him. Father too. But he isn’t thrilled that we’re all going into the war. He prays for you and Sidney to end this war quickly so you can come back home to Mobile and so we can continue on our lives like normal civilians. 

I walked by your house today and noticed your mother gardening. She was planting some poppies and I know how much you love them. I didn’t say hello because I felt bad that I cannot serve the country like you and Sidney are. 

I wish for your safe return, Eugene Sledge”

You smiled at the letter before folding it up and putting it away. You finished up your dinner and headed to your tent, calling it a day. There were five other nurses that balanced out the workday so two would work 16 hours and then sleep for 8 hours. Two surgeons worked around the clock, taking breaks whenever they could. You respected them, but you were pretty sure they didn’t respect you. You ignored every rude comment you’d hear from them, keeping tabs just in case.


	4. Sidney

You were rudely awoken by the sounds of mortar fire almost every night. It seemed like the Japanese forces loved to ruin your sleep. You would take different sleeping shifts, but god forbid you had a mortar shell go off half a mile from the aid station every two minutes. It’s like they knew when you were trying to sleep. 

As the months went on and on and on, the mortars never stopped coming. Eventually, after many dead and injured men and destroyed wildlife, you were moved out of wherever you were and taken to Australia. You and the other nurses cleaned yourselves up, showered, and changed into fresh uniforms before heading off on breaks. You brought your pad of paper and pencil with you when you found yourself sitting on a small bench on the deck. Before you could even think about writing, a man sat next to you in a beat up USMC uniform.

“How the hell did you get yourself here?” The accent caught your attention. You looked over at the man and noticed it was Sidney. He sat lounging back with his leg resting on the other and his arms stretched across the back of the seat.

“Sidney, oh my god!” You exclaimed. You practically threw your pencil and paper down on the seat and hugged him. He laughed and hugged you back, picking you up off the seat so it wasn’t an awkward seat hug.

“Seriously, Y/N. How did you get here?” He asked, letting you go. You brushed yourself off and looked at him.

“Someone’s got to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.” You said. He laughed a bit and smiled at you.

“I knew I could always count on you,” He said before looking at your pad of paper. “Were you going to write to Eugene?” He asked, looking back at you. You nodded.

“Did you want to say something?” You asked, tilting your head slightly. Sidney shook his head.

“Tell him I wish him well. And ask him how Mobile is for me.” Sid smiled slightly before taking a step back. “I should probably get going, Y/N. It was lovely seeing a familiar face around here.” He said before leaving you alone. You watched him leave before sitting back down on the bench and writing your letter to Sledge.

“Dear Eugene,

I finally met up with Sid! I’ve been in this godforsaken tropical jungle for the past seven months and I just now see him once we leave! It shows you how much I actually see the frontlines. Though, I’m sure he’s a mortar man. There is a lot of them it seems. Good news is that I never saw him during my duty which means he’s fairly healthy.

We are currently leaving what is known as Guadalcanal to head for Australia where we’ll all recuperate and rest up before being sent back into the unknown. A lot of the men keep talking about how Australian women are lonely and how there is a good chance they’ll find a broad here. I laugh to myself every time I hear them talking about how lonely they are. But then I remember that I am lonely for you.

Yours Truly, Y/N”

You stared at the note before folding it up and placing it into your breast pocket. You grabbed your things as your break time was coming to an end and you were asked to go under to help get a resupply inventory going.

A couple days passed and the battleship you were on arrived into an Australian port. Women greeted the men and stared at you funny when you and the other nurses got off. You and the Marines were ushered to an abandoned baseball field. Men were set up in the bleachers as the women, including you, were sent to the lounge seat upstairs. It was suite for the six of you. Red velvet carpet and matching chairs adorned the room. There was a cot for each one of you and you claimed yours quickly. It overlooked the men, giving you a perfect shot of Sidney. But before you could enjoy the sight, the COs closed the blinds.

“These stay down. Any blinds that are up will involve immediate action. No one sees in and no one sees out. Understood?” The man asked. You all said ‘yes sir’ as firm as possible before sitting down on the beds, happily. You laid down on your cot and almost immediately fell asleep, happy to realize that you were far from mortars and imminent death.


	5. Heartfelt

Your stay in Australia was short lived but every day you were there you found time to write Eugene a letter. You had written about four letters and kept every single one of them. You were scared to send them to Eugene as you recalled pouring your feelings out onto the paper. In one pocket were yours and in the other breast pocket was the one’s Eugene sent you. They eventually stopped coming as well and you blamed the fact you were moving everywhere and it was hard to track it properly. You hoped Eugene was okay and you took your mind off of it by trying to seek out Sidney. It didn’t work so you were left to your quarters and downtown Melbourne.

Once you left Australia, it was onto a coastal Allied port called Cape Gloucester. The nurses you were apart of weren’t sent onto shore due to the danger of being captured by Japanese forces as well as the unruly weather. It was day after night, working hard on the ship you were put on. You missed land every second. The steel floorboards were slowly becoming all you could see in your mind. The only conscience-saving thing was going up onto the deck to write Eugene.

You found yourself, on your break, sitting in the same spot you once met up with Sidney. With pencil and paper, you wrote to Eugene, figuring this would also be one you wouldn’t send him.

“Dear Eugene,

The nurses have been kept on the ship to await any severely wounded men. It’s nice not to have to listen to gunfire and mortar blasts up and close. I can finally get a good night’s sleep, but I know the Marines that are on the island are not. I’m saddened by the idea that I am not there for Sidney and I have to wait for them to leave the island.

It has rained a ton here and I can’t imagine what the island is like with this torrential downpour. It’s almost like a hurricane in August. 

I miss you very much. I miss you more than Mobile itself. I miss you more than anything right now and I hope you are well.

Yours Truly, Y/N”

You stared at the paper and slowly folded it up before putting it with other letters. The pocket was getting fuller every time you wrote. You had to put some in your personal locker by the cot you had in the galley. 

About a couple of months later, the 1st Marines were taken off of Cape Gloucester. You met with dirty and bloody men who claimed of various illnesses and symptoms. Most of them had contracted malaria and you treated them the best you could. You, and one other nurse, worked nonstop for two days straight before being relieved of duty. Before you could even think to lie down in your bunk to make up for the lack of sleep, you were pulled aside by your commanding officer.

“Y/L/N,” He spoke. He was still wearing his doctor’s uniform that was stained from blood and dirt. “The Navy is letting me grant one nurse from each group to finish up their schooling with residency time. I chose you realizing you were one of the two that came in with prior nursing experience and the two days you just worked proved you were the one.” You looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Sir, my schooling isn’t for nursing.” You said. He raised an eyebrow back.

“No? What’s it for then?” He asked.

“I’m currently in the process of being a doctor, sir; a surgeon.” You looked at him. You weren’t lying either. Your schooling was pre-medicine, not medical nursing. Your CO looked at you and smiled a bit.

“I’m sure I can arrange something for you.” He said, grinning. You nodded and thanked him before being left alone to wash up and sleep for a while, uninterrupted.


	6. Home Abroad

The ship found itself in Pavuvu’s harbor. Your CO transferred you from your nurse group to a combat doctor. You had a whole new uniform and you grabbed your seabag, including all of your letters to and from Eugene, to head onto shore to take care of any men that needed help while recovering from war. The ship pulled out of harbor as you watched it before walking down the walkway with your CO right next to you. Marines whistled and shouted things like ‘we have an angel among us boys.’ You ignored all of them to the best of your abilities before you found home in a bunk with your CO and two male nurses. You placed your things down on an empty cot before being dismissed. You thanked your CO for his work on getting you a promotion before heading out of the tent to go walk around. 

The sun was shining and the wind was blowing, letting the loose strands of your hair bounce in front of your face. You stood there letting the calm nature take you over before you heard your name being shouted from behind you.

“Y/N!” You turned around. It was Sidney. You smiled and waved to him before walking towards him. Then you noticed a familiar face next to him that almost made you cry.

“Gene!” You shouted back before going at them in a full on sprint. You attacked both of them with a group hug. You smiled big at them when you pulled away, looking at Eugene, hugging him by himself.

“Found this geezer walking around lost.” Sidney laughed a bit. You never lost your smile when you made eye contact with Sidney.

“Yeah? This geezer?” You looked up and down Eugene. He was in a brand new, undirtied uniform. “I’d say both of you are geezers.” You laughed. You got a small chuckle from the both of them. “You’re both my geezers and that will never change.” You winked at the two of them. 

“Wouldn’t want it any other way.” Eugene said, patting you on your shoulder. Sidney looked at your uniform and then at you.

“Hey, Y/N. You got yourself a new uniform.” He pointed out. You looked over and then down at the Navy markings.

“Oh, right. Yeah, my CO got me transferred to combat doctor. I’m in the training to become a surgeon.” You smiled a bit. Sidney’s eyes were wide as he made eye contact with Eugene.

“A surgeon? What are you going to do? Amputate a man’s leg?” Sidney asked. You shrugged.

“As long as it’s not either of you two’s, I can amputate whatever they need me to.” You said. Eugene stared at the ground before looking over at Sidney. The three of you stood in silence before Sidney patted Eugene’s shoulder.

“I’ve got to pack.” He said, leaving you without answers. You turned to him as he walked away.

“What do you mean pack? Gene just got here!” You shouted. He turned around to walk backwards and shrugged at you. You turned back to Eugene expecting an answer. He looked at you.

“He says he’s shipping out to go home. He’s done for the war.” Eugene said sadly. You look at him and then at the direction of Sid.

“Well, I hope I’m not getting sent home until you get sent home,” You said as you pulled out your letters. “I wrote you these and I was getting tired of carrying them around.” You handed them over. Eugene looked at them and smiled a bit, putting them in his pocket.

“Thanks for writing, Y/N. I kept all of your letters. Oh I have this for you too.” He said pulling out a piece of paper and giving it to you. “I wrote it during boot. I didn’t want to send it, fearing it would be lost.” He licked his lips as you took it, looking at it, and then putting it in your pocket.

“I’ll read it tonight when I’m looking for something to do.” You smiled. You looked up at the sky and then at Eugene. “I need to get going. My break is almost up so I’ll see you around?” Eugene nodded and smiled.

“Of course. I’ll see you around,” He said, letting you part. “Oh, and Y/N?” He stopped you. You turned around.

“Yes, Gene?” You asked.

“Stay safe.” He told you. You smiled and nodded before running off to your tent.

Your duties for the day were done right before dinnertime and you laid in your bunk, holding the letter Eugene gave you. You were scared to reading but dying of anticipation to read it. You slowly unfolded it and read it to yourself and in peace.

“Dear Y/N,

I write this letter to you during bootcamp. The heart murmur is gone and I enlisted as soon as I could. I wanted to be with you and Sidney. Mostly you, though. Sidney is just another common face I used to see every day. Every day I thought of you, hoping you were safe. I was thinking of Sidney too as he is my best friend. I wish this war never happened because it’s been close to two years since I have seen you two. You must look very different than you did before you left Mobile.

My mother and father both told me to send you their congratulations on being in the medical field. I never told you that they would not shut up about you after you left. It’s almost like they’re telling me I should ask you to marry me. But I know you most likely have already found a sailor, or hell even another Marine, that caught your attention.

I visited your family the day before I was sent to boot. They told me they did not want to write to you because they knew you would be too busy saving lives to respond back. They also told me to tell you that they are proud of you and that they are proud of Sidney, and when I told them that I enlisted, they told me that they were proud of me. Your mother also told me to bring you home safe and sound when the war ends.

Forever Yours, Eugene Sledge”

You stared at the note and smiled a bit, placing it back into your pocket. Your arms found themselves behind your head as you thought of Eugene making it. Your gut was right and you now had a new feeling. Eugene shared your spilt feelings.

You quickly got up from your bunk and ran outside of your tent to head for the chow hall. You found your two friends eating up their dinner. The chow hall was filled to the brim with men as you entered and quickly made your way to their table. You sat down next to Eugene, making him scoot over. He had a box in front of him and he was embarrassed to even show the contents.

“Hey Doc, this kid has baby food.” One of the men announced. You looked at the man with a sarcastic astonished look. 

“Really? Well you know how nutritional baby food is?” You said. “I don’t think you do because you’re too busy sucking on your mother’s breast, am I right?” You asked. The man went back to his food as you looked at Sidney who was laughing with his tongue pressed to his cheek. You looked over at Eugene and smiled.

“My mother’s embarrassing.” He said. You looked at his box and then at Sidney’s food, realizing you didn’t get a serving of your own.

“Yeah, at least your mother sends you things. My mother didn’t even send me letters.” You stared at Sidney’s food intensely, wanting some. Sidney noticed and kicked you under the table.

“Hey, Y/N. Go get some supper.” Sidney said. You looked at him and looked at the long line. It made your hunger go away immediately and you looked at Sidney, trying to ignore his meal.

“No, I’m good. Line’s too long.” You said, looking at Eugene, ready to tell him you read his letter when two men walked up, requesting three men to go scrub oil drums. Of course, Eugene went, telling you and Sidney goodbye. You watched them leave before grabbing Eugene’s food and eating whatever he had left. Sidney laughed and handed you over the other two’s plates.

“Here, eat.” He told you, watching you eat the food quickly. You were a madman when it came to eating. You hadn’t eaten since you got off of the boat that morning and the meal, whatever it was, was absolutely delicious to your starving stomach.


	7. Rendezvous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please excuse the French. I only know so much so actually a lot of this is from Google Translate. But by all means, correct me!

After you and Sidney departed the chow hall, you parted ways and saying what was your final goodbyes until you go back to Mobile. You walked down the pathway before finding the group of men scrubbing the oil drums. You saw Eugene head first in one, trying to scrub the sides heavily. You chuckled to yourself before heading up to them. There was a man sitting on the bed of a truck smoking, watching the three men you had briefly met at chow scrub the drums.

“Oh la la la, mon cheri. Tu es si belle.” The man from the bed of the truck spoke, removing his cigarette from his mouth. You looked at him with your hands hidden in the pockets of your dungarees. He had a strong Cajun accent you couldn’t miss. You looked at Eugene who took a break from scrubbing. He was irritated to the max as he stared at the man on the truck.

“Snafu, don’t test her.” Eugene defended you. You exchanged a look with him before returning your stare at the Cajun.

“Why not?” Snafu spoke up, taking a drag from his cigarette. Eugene looked at you in silent, letting you know it was your time to shine.

“Tu devrais regarder ce que tu dis,” you said as clear as possible. You received a stare from the man, who presumed to bite his lip. “Vous allez vous faire gifler.” You looked at Eugene, who was grinning at you. Snafu jumped down from the bed of the truck and walked over to you. You removed your hands in a defensive manner. Eugene had lost his grin and watched the whole scene unfold. 

“Why don’t you speak French to me behind that tent tonight?” He offered, pointing to the tent set up next to the truck. You rolled your eyes and scoffed before hooking his leg with yours and slamming your forearm onto his chest, making him fall backwards. He landed with a loud thud. 

“In your dreams, mon cheri.” You said, leaning over him. Snafu blinked a couple of times, trying to regain himself. You stood erect once again and headed over to Eugene who was covered in oil and sweat, something you’d never thought you’d be attracted to.

“Do you have any tips for scrubbing these drums?” He asked you, going back at it. You looked at it. 

“Oil for aircraft?” You asked and received a nod. “Dish soap has an agent that’ll remove it but I highly doubt this desolate hell has dish soap.” You responded. Eugene sighed and almost threw his brush on the ground. You grabbed his arm and whispered in his ear. 

“Come meet me outside my tent when you’re done.” You told him, pulling away immediately. He stared at you with a full blush and nodded. You walked away from the men, telling Snafu to promptly ‘fuck off and leave me alone’ in French.

You went back to the aid tent and helped take care of any men that came in complaining of small things, like blisters, to major things, like jungle rot. You pressed on through the anticipation to finally tell Eugene you read his letter that still resided in your inner pocket.

The worst case you had was a man fresh from the battleground. You, among the other medical personnel, cleared off a table for the man. He had been shot several times with blood levels decreasing rapidly. You shouted at a nurse to give the man plasma as you began to remove the shrapnel and bullets lodged in his skin. He begged for you to not let him die. That’s all he would say. “Please don’t let me die, Doc. I have a family. Please. I don’t want to die.” You eventually stared at him and placed a bloodied hand on his cheek.

“Hang in there, kid. We’re gonna get you fixed up and you’re going to be okay.” You said. The other doctor worked carefully on his leg, making sure he didn’t bleed out. Luckily for him, it didn’t hit the main artery. You worked on his chest and arms as the nurses wiped up as much of the blood from the wounds as they could. The bleeding on his arms stopped and you began to work on his chest. You began to clean the dirt and blood from the scratches he had on him. You quickly worked on his torso when the other doctor looked to him.

“Your leg is going to be okay. You’re in good hands right now. As soon as we patch you up, we’re sending you to the rehabilitation center that’s just a boat ride down the shore.” He said. The man heaved in relief before crying. His hand went up to his face and wipe away the tears.

“I thought I was going to die out there.” He said. You began to stitch up the bullet wounds and whatever large cuts he had on his chest. You placed a hand gently on him and smiled.

“You’re one lucky man.” You held his hand before leaving him to recuperate with the nurses. You walked over to the water station and quickly washed the blood off of your hands. Your CO patted your shoulder and smiled.

“You’re one hell of a doctor, Y/L/N.” He smiled. You nodded and thanked him for the compliment.

Eventually, after many bloody fixings, you were dismissed for the night and you headed for your personal tent. Outside stood Eugene who was looking at everything. You walked quickly towards him and grabbed his arm, dragging him behind the tent. You were aided by the solid tent fabric. He stared at you.

“I read your letter, Eugene.” You told him. A blush crept onto his face and he looked at the ground, trying to hide it from the moonlight.

“I haven’t read yours yet.” He said softly. “I didn’t have the time.” He looked at you. You smiled a bit.

“Read them. I’m sure you’d like them.” You told him, reassuringly. He nodded. 

“I left them back in my bunk. I didn’t want to keep them on me just in case I lost them or they got destroyed.” He smiled a bit. You nodded understandingly. He stared up at the moonlight before he looked back at you. You were standing shorter than him, looking at him. His hair was still as tousled and as ginger as possible. He was truly a work of art and you were pretty sure you weren’t alone in thinking that.

“I should get back to my tent before someone asks where I was.” He told you before scurrying off. You watched him leave before leaving yourself.


	8. New Horizons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you are space nerds like I am, shout out (#LookAtTheTitle)

You had hoped he read the letter you gave him instead of putting them off. You knew you two shared feelings, but the fact that you had a private meeting with him to discuss the letters (and maybe confessed your feelings for each other) and he didn’t read them made you wonder. Were you reading past the lines and he didn’t want you? You began to overthink everything and eventually came to the conclusion you were the forward person and that he was just stating what happened at home and boot. You were upset and tried to sleep it off the best you could.  
You woke up early the next morning due to not being able to get a good night’s rest. The other medical personnel you bunked with were still fast asleep and the sun wasn’t up yet. You got dressed and headed out of the tent and down the road to the shore. You plopped yourself down on the sand with the crabs that walked around you, inspecting you. The war had taken its toll on you and you weren’t even on the front lines. It was the idea that men all around you were dying. You were upset knowing that there were far more men dead than you could ever imagine taking care of. It let your eyes tear up as you thought of the men screaming through mortar shellings and fast paced bullets.

Sidney had left the day before to go home permanently. What a lucky bastard. You told yourself that you and Eugene would be home with him soon. But something told you that Eugene and you wouldn’t make it. You hoped it was just the trauma you had talking. The thought of Eugene dying was horrendous. Sure, you thought that Sidney was going to die, but this was before trauma affected you and your thoughts. You wished you could sit next to both Sidney and Eugene on that beach, enjoying the sunrise and enjoying the calmest part of war you all would experience.

“You can’t sleep either?” A voice echoed behind you, distracting you from the sound of the waves crashing and the crabs walking. You looked behind you and you found Eugene standing there with unkempt bedhead. You gave a small smile for him.

“No,” You faced forward, admiring how bright the stars were over the ocean. The picture was so surreal and you wanted to look at it forever. Eugene silently walked to you and sat down, shooing away the crabs before having them inspect him as well. You two sat in the darkness together, shrouded in silence. Whether Eugene thought it was awkward or not, you sat there hoping the silence would be broken.

“I read your letters.” Eugene said softly, playing with a stick and a crab in front of him. Your stomach dropped a bit as you stayed in silence. “Thank you for them.” He told you. And that was when you told yourself you gone and done it. Just what you needed. Reassurance that your unrequited appreciation for Eugene was still, very much, unrequited.

“You’re welcome.” You told him getting up from the sand. Eugene looked up at you, tossing his stick aside. You stood, staring at the sun slowly creeping up, destroying what was a peaceful and starry night. Eugene stood up and hesitantly grabbed your hand. You smiled to yourself before standing close to him, resting your head on his shoulder.

“I hope you get to go home soon.” Eugene told you, watching the sunset with you. You closed your eyes and inhaled relieved.

“Not without you, Gene.” You lifted your head up and looked at him. He turned his head and smiled a bit. “Someone’s got to make sure you don’t die out there.” You laughed to yourself. He squeezed your hand tighter than he already was. Before you could act out what your mind was telling you to do (Kiss him Y/N. Do it, his cheek is right there), you let go and excused yourself to go do your work. You scuttled away, leaving Eugene alone on the beach. When you got to the top of the hill, you looked behind you to look at him. He stood with his hands in his pockets, staring straight off into the horizon like a drama queen he was. You laughed to yourself quietly before heading off on your way.


	9. Together

As soon as you arrived to your aid station to begin preparations for more incoming wounded men, your CO pulled you aside. You looked around as he stood next to you, staring you down. You were confused as to why he was so… weird, but he was your CO so there wasn’t supposed to be anything wrong.

“We’re heading out for Peleliu with the Marines. We’re going to be on the front lines with them.” He said with a hint of sadness. You looked at him.

“Front lines? We’re medics, not gunners.” You trailed off. He sighed a bit and nodded.

“I know, I know. We’re in charge of getting men the medical attention they need right away. They expect this battle to be pretty tough since we’re going in and taking the whole island. There’s an airfield we want so men are going to have a harder time surviving their wounds if we aren’t there to take care of them.” He spoke softly. You looked at him, nodding understanding.

“How much medical equipment will we have with us?” You asked. He handed you a list of things. You took it and stared at the short list.

“Be ready to leave in one hour. Ships are taking us there with the Marines.” He said before leaving to instruct the nurses to stay behind and take care of the wounded. The list was short and you knew that you could barely save any men with what you were allowed to take.

Various Bandages: 30 count, Morphine: 10 count, Belts: 10 count, Salt Pills: 100 count, Scissors: 2 count, Plasma: 1 count, Burn Kit: 5 count, Tourniquet: 1 count, Sterile Water 4 OZ: 5 count, Sulfur Packets: 40.

You tossed the list to your side in astonishment before turning around to your CO, who was packing up his things.

“How the hell are we to save men with this much?” You shouted. Your CO stopped and looked at you realizing this is the first time you lashed out in the past two and a half years.

“This is coming from my CO. Nothing more, it’s too dangerous. If we get captured, we can’t let the Japs win.” He said. You inhaled and bit your bottom lip before going to pack up your things. Without your CO looking, you slipped in some needle and thread to perform stitching right on the battlefield and several packs of alcohol swabs to clean up the stitched wounds. You watched your CO dress up for departure.

“Get captured, my ass. We’re with fucking Marines.” You told yourself as you began to dress yourself. 

As soon as you dressed yourself and you were ready to go, you walked out with your CO and headed for the docks. You were ushered to the front of the line to be put on the shore first. Though men were already in their amphibious assault vehicles. You were pushed along to one and found a face you didn’t expect to see.

“Hey, Gene.” You said, bumping your way up to him. You smiled at him and received one back. “You ready for hell?” You asked him, laughing to yourself. He stared at you and nodded.

“I’m ready.” He told you. You found his scaredness for the whole thing understandable but also somewhat hilarious. When you turned your head to look at who you stood next to, you rolled your eyes.

“Mon cheri.” Snafu said to you. You stared at him unamused before rolling your eyes forward.

“Don’t think I won’t trip you while you’re in this vehicle.” You told him. He chuckled a bit and held out a cigarette.

“Cigarette? Pour vous.” He said, handing you one from his already opened pack. You stared at him with a raised eyebrow.

“No, I don’t smoke. Merci.” You told him. He laughed, putting the cigarette in his mouth.

“Really? How long have you been here?” He asked. You looked at him again.

“Assez.” You said. He looked at you expecting a number answer. When they announced they were launching, you looked back at here. “Des le debut.” He stared at you and shook his head before holding onto the side when the vehicle hit the water. You looked to Eugene who was both internally and externally scared to death.

“Gene, you’re going to be fine!” You shouted. He looked at you like you were crazy. You patted his back. “I’ll be there for you if you need me.” You told him. He nodded and began to look down at the floor to pray. You sighed to yourself and looked at all the men. They mimicked Eugene, whether they prayed or not. You looked at Snafu who was happily smoking a cigarette like a madman.

“So where you from?” You asked him. He looked at you and smiled, happy that you weren’t about to verbally roast him.

“Louisiana. You?” He asked you. 

“Alabama. Same town as Gene.” You told him. Snafu raised his eyebrows.

“So are you two together or something?” He asked. Eugene shot a look over at him. Snafu gave a shit-eating grin. “I’d say yes.” He laughed. You rolled your eyes.

The amphibious assault vehicle you three were in docked on the beach and the men climbed out. You were the last to leave the vehicle. Careful not to break the glass bottle that held plasma, you exited through the side feet first instead of side first. You ran, crouching to the men that screamed. There were so many men that were already deceased, you couldn’t pick out who was alive. You didn’t know where your CO was as you looked around. If you were dead, you’d become head surgeon and with your basic knowledge of being an actual doctor, you couldn’t do it. Fear began to take over until you saw the rest of the men from your vehicle running, including Sledge. You knew the men lost on the beach were lost for good. No matter how hard you tried to save them, you knew you couldn’t. You didn’t have the resources, nor was this the ideal place to save a man. You pushed forward, following the men. You dodged bullets and mortar shrapnel climbing over the hill and into the brush.

You passed a man that had been hit right in front of you. He screamed for a medic as he laid bleeding out. You ran to him, staring at him in silence.

“I’m here.” You spoke softly. “I’m here and you’re going to be safe.” You told him. He stared at you and nodded. You found his leg wound and immediately ripped off the fabric. The bullet that hit him was lodged deep in his leg.

“How bad is it, Doc?” He asked you. You quickly grabbed a belt and tied it around his upper thigh. Then you grabbed morphine and shot it into the opposite thigh before looking at the man.

“You’re going to be fine. We have to get you someplace that can get you blood. If I remove the bullet, you’ll bleed out. The morphine should kick in and you’re going to be okay.” You told him. He nodded. It hit you that all the men that were alive were already pushing past you. You inhaled and stood up carefully.

“I’ve got to carry you out. How much do you weigh?” You asked. The man stared at you.

“I think 140?” He told you. That was doable. You grabbed the man’s upper arm and his good leg and hoisted him up with a large grunt. You ran with him towards the amphibious vehicle that awaited wounded men. One of the soldiers inside of it helped the man into it.

“He’s got morphine in him. Right leg has a lodged bullet in the main artery. He has a belt to stop him from bleeding out.” You told them before they nodded, immediately taking care of him. You ran back towards the beach, hearing calls for a medic. You ran towards the closest one. You found a man with a blown off arm and leg. You stared at him and immediately shot him with morphine. Eight left. You wrapped his leg and arm in a bandage, immediately picking him up and taking him to the same vehicle.

“Morphine.” You told them as they helped him on. You panted, pulling away from the vehicle. The driver shouted at you.

“If we want to save these men, we have to leave. You’ll be on your own.” He shouted. You stared at him and nodded understandingly. You backed up and watched it pull back into the water and back towards the ship. You couldn’t stay here, no matter how much you wanted to. You had to catch up with the rest of the men.


	10. Wounded

You finally met up with the Marines and they just about came close to shooting you. They noticed you weren’t armed and you were an American. Their gunney came up.

“Are you the combat surgeon?” He asked. You nodded. He twitched his head. “Come here, we need you up to date on the information.” You nodded again and headed with him to the group. You crouched near Snafu and another man who looked just as scared as the next. They told you the plan to overtake the airfield and that they wanted you to stay back. Men would bring the wounded to you. You understood and looked to the men.

“Give me every piece of first aid you have. You won’t be needing it as much as I do.” You told them. The gunney looked at the men.

“Do what Doc tells you. She’s going to be saving your ass from death.” He told the men. They all nodded and handed over what they could. You obtained three morphine containers, four bandages, and another goddamn pair of scissors. You thanked the men as you pocketed everything. The gunney looked at you before rushing everyone closer to the front lines. Japanese walked the premise everywhere and they immediately noticed you all. The men were ordered to run and you stayed behind with one person to protect you.

“Can you fire a sidearm?” He asked you. You looked at him like he was crazy.

“I save lives, not take them.” You told him. He stared at you funny back and watched out for men bringing wounded. You counted your items before taking a salt pill. 

“Incoming, Doc. Incoming!” He shouted. You looked back and saw a man covered in blood being carried by another. You thanked the man as he dropped the wounded down. You stared at him. He had been shot three times in the chest and abdomen. You cursed under your breath and began to work. 

“Can you save him?” Your protection asked you. You said yeah as you thought of a way to removed the bullets. All you had was scissors, nothing else. You cursed under your breath before digging into the holes with your fingers, pinching the sides to pop it out like a pimple.

“Sorry if this hurts, Sarge.” You told the man as he groaned in pain. You got one out. Then another. And finally the last one. You poured sulfur packs onto the wounds and covered them up with dressings. He inhaled as the sulfur stopped the bleeding immediately.

“You gotta stay here. Understood?” You asked the wounded man. He nodded and grabbed your arm.

“Thank you, Doc.” He told you. You nodded and smiled.

“We’ll get you out of here as soon as possible.” You spoke, watching men die on the field. Your protection was getting antsy to go fight and you were antsy to get the wounded man out of here. You looked at the guard.

“Go. I need to get this man to safety. Meet back here in ten.” You told him. The man nodded and watched as you hoisted the wounded on your shoulders. You ran as fast as your could through the shrubs, then down the hill, and through the dead. There was an assault vehicle waiting for you to bring wounded.

“What do we got?” The medical personnel asked as you handed the man over.

“Three bullet wounds. Sulfur. No morphine.” You told them. They nodded and got the man onto the vehicle as you ran back into the mess. You were determined to get everyone out of there, no matter what. You made it back to the lines as quick as you could and found three wounded waiting for you. One had a piece of shrapnel sticking out of his leg, one had his arm blown off, and the other one had bullet holes all over his body. You got the second one and grabbed a belt, wrapping it around his shoulder and injecting his other arm with the morphine. 

“It’s about time, Doc.” One of them told you. You laughed to yourself and apologized.

“I’m the only one here to carry you back to safety.” You told them. The amputee rested back as the morphine kicked in. You went to the shrapnel man and carefully pulled it out. You pour sulfur on the wound and asked if he needed morphine. He shook his head no and told you to save it. You nodded and placed a dressing over it and headed for the bullet-wounded man. You did the same thing as the other man and pinched the bullets out, sending the bloodied metal flying. He screamed in pain as you squeezed but by god, you got every single one out. You had your guard come flying up and asking if you needed help. You looked up from the wounded.

“Start carrying them out. Take him,” You pointed to the man who had shrapnel with no morphine. “Tell them shrapnel, no morphine.” The soldier nodded, picked the man up, and carried him out of there.

“Where are we going, Doc?” The man with the blown off arm asked. You looked to him as you poured sulfur into the bullet holes of the other man.

“Pavuvu’s hospital. You’ll be taken care of and sent home on honorable discharge.” You told him. He smiled and relaxed again. You had another Marine come to you asking what you needed. You told him to take the amputee and run to the vehicle.

“Tell them Amputee with Morphine.” You said. The man nodded and hoisted him up to run him to the vehicle. Your guard came running back.

“This man is good to go. No morphine.” You told him. The guard nodded and picked the man up, who only cried out in pain and who cried for home, to take him to safety. You sat there waiting for other men to arrive before you began to pray for Eugene’s safety.


	11. Desolation

You were rushed off of the beach so you could return to your duty as a true combat medic. There was bloodied bodies everywhere, men using their last dying breath the scream out in agony, and there was nothing you could do. They were goners in this condition and you kept pushing forward despite everything in your body telling you to save them. But this place was a desolate hell. You didn’t know if you were dead and if you weren’t, you felt like you were. It was easily over a hundred degrees that day and the sun shone brightly, attacking any exposed skin. The hard sand and dried twigs snapped under your boots as your trudged along. You looked down, trying to give your eyes a break from the intense sun.

“You lost, Doc?” A familiar voice spoke up from in front of you. You stared up and saw the large group of unharmed (more or less) Marines, watching you walk up. You sat down in the hole that had Snafu, Eugene, and the other man.

“You know, I never got your name.” You said looking ahead, trying to hydrate your mouth from the hot and dry air.

“Burgin. Corporal Burgin.” He told you. You looked at him and shook his hand. 

“Doc Y/L/N. I’m good friends with Sledge here.” You nudged your head towards Eugene who smiled. Burgin looked over and nodded. You took a sip from the canteen you had and offered it to the men in the hole. They took a small sip each, trying to conserve the water the best they could. 

“Don’t tell them you have water. They’ve been asking since we got here.” Snafu said. You looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Snafu pointed to the men in the other holes with a knife he held.

“Did they send you men out here with no water?” You asked, astonished and angry. Burgin nodded. You sat back against the dirt and frowned towards the ground.

“Y’all are going to die out here.” You said taking another salt pill. You sat there in silence with the three men before you were all ordered to move out. Burgin helped you up from the ground and walked next to you. You found out he was from Texas and his family owned a farm where he worked. He had a little brother that was close to ten years younger than him. You told him you had an older brother in the Army that was stationed in Northern Africa and a little sister who just started high school. You were also the only one with a college education and that’s what got him. Eugene walked next to you with Snafu on the other side.

“Yeah, I go to school for pre-med. They offered me residency as a nurse and now I can finish up my schooling by being a combat surgeon.” You told him.

“A combat surgeon?” Burgin asked. You nodded and pulled out a pin you gave to wear on your nonexistent dress whites. It had an anchor with a caduceus on it.

“So if you need something removed, you come to me. Understood?” You said to him. Burgin nodded and looked to Eugene.

“She’s one hell of a friend you got there.” He said. You smiled happily.

“She’s got one hell of a tongue too, am I right, mon cheri?” Snafu asked with a shit-eating grin. You chuckled to yourself.

“Soyez silencieux,” You told him. 

As you walked, Eugene’s hand bumped into yours as you walked and you wanted to hold it so bad. You gently caressed his hand with your index finger letting him know you wanted it. You noticed him smile from the corner of your eye.

“So, what’s it like where you two are from?” Burgin asked. You looked at him and then forward.

“It’s nice. We have another friend named Sidney Phillips who left to go home for good. We’ve known each other since we were maybe three years old? Gene’s family and mine live next door to each other and you can imagine the summers during school were extra fun since we were so close. We used to all go to church together and wreak havoc. Gene’s mother told him no more playing while Sid and I would go off and try to steal the donuts they would have.” You chuckled remembering Sidney falling flat on his face trying to get one during a prayer. Burgin smiled at you.

“Mobile sounds fun. Maybe I’ll come visit one day.” He announced. You nodded and smiled back.

“You’d be welcomed with a warm heart, I’ll tell you that.” You said. The Marines in front of you stopped before someone screamed out for a corpsman. Without a hesitation, you ran to the front.

There was a mortally wounded Japanese man on the ground, gasping for air. You looked at him and knelt down beside, placing a hand on his forehead. He looked at you with scared eyes before passing. Your brow furrowed before you inspected him. The two sergeants standing behind you, knelt down with you.

“What do you make of this?” They asked. Your head tilted slightly in curiosity. 

“Decoys. They have decoys.” You looked to the men who nodded. The two sergeants stood up and signalled for everyone to cover down and wait for orders. You were excused as you walked back to the three men. They looked at you as you stood looking to the ground angrily.

“Merde!” You shouted, throwing your helmet on the ground. The men looked at you before Eugene got up to walk carefully to you. He picked up your helmet and put it on your head.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?” He asked. You shut your eyes to keep them from stinging.

“They’re using innocent people,” You looked to the mountainside. “They’re monsters. You hear me! Connards! Laches san coeur!” You shouted. Eugene immediately grabbed you and covered your mouth. Burgin ran over to you.

“You’re going to give away our position.” He told you. The Marines were staring at you as Eugene let go of you. You stared at them apologetic before angrily at Burgin.

“They can come and get me.”


	12. Trauma

You were sat with the three men before Eugene was sent for a scouting mission. You sat there picking dirt and dried blood from underneath your fingernails. Burgin looked at you saddened.

“Hey, I know you’re upset and we all are too. We feel your pain.” He told you. You smiled a bit before sniffling slightly and looking at him.

“How can someone be so heartless…” You trailed off. Burgin began to respond when gunshots and mortars sounded. You immediately stood up and ran from your cover waiting for a cry for a medic. The men came back unharmed and you found Eugene right in the back. He looked at you and quickly pulled you back into the shrubs. 

“Japs had us zeroed. That entire mountainside is filled with them.” He said. You looked to the mountain angrily, knowing that the Japanese forces were back there waiting to attack.

Night eventually came and you sat in a hole with Burgin, Snafu, and Eugene. You fought the temptation to sleep, but it eventually overcame you. However, you woke up twenty minutes later to Gunney Haney saying woof right behind you. It freaked you out you jumped.

“Good morning, Doc. Did you sleep well?” He asked you before leaving. Everyone was laughing at you but mostly Haney. You couldn’t help but chuckle too.

The night went on and the hot air turned cold. It was a nice change of pace now that everything was also quiet. You looked at Eugene who stared at you back. You gave him a small smile before you looked at the other two men who were watching you both intensely. All of that was taken away when you heard muffled yelling. You looked to the direction of the sound before realizing one of the Marines was losing it. Without hesitation, you got up and ran to him. But before you could even put your two cents in, he was hit upside the head with a trenching tool, covering you in his blood. Silence loomed and you looked to the two who ultimately killed him.

“You didn’t even wait for me.” You said sternly. They looked to you.

“He was a goner, Doc.” They told you before telling you, and all the men, to go back into their holes for the night. You sat there picking off pieces of whatever bodily parts there were on you. Eugene stared at you before sitting near you. You bit your lip staring at your hands.

“We’ll be home sooner than later.” Eugene told you. You smiled a bit and looked to him.

“I hope that’s a true statement. Don’t you know it’s a sin to lie, Sledge?” You asked him. He laughed a bit and grabbed one of your hands gently, holding it throughout the night.

The next morning, every man around was dead tired and look as if they had walked through hell and back, which was very much true. They covered the man that had been murdered last night and you sat there, counting your medical gear before you all moved out. 

You were all ordered to get up as you were being forced to attack the mountainside. You were ordered to go in. They expected this battle to be the worst due to the closeness of the each opposing teams. You looked to Eugene after receiving your order and grabbed his hand. He stared at you, scared beyond belief, before you gave him a quick kiss. He stared at you and you could see a small tear fall from his eye.

“I’m weaponless and a medic. I’m going to die out there.” You told him before letting go of his hand. Tears began to fall from his eyes harder and he quickly pulled you in, giving you a much more forceful kiss than yours. When you pulled away he smiled sadly.

“Be safe, Y/N.” He told you. You nodded before running off to answer the cries for a medic. Men were bleeding out from forced amputations, bullet wounds, and from shrapnel hits. Burn marks scarred many of the men as you attempted to calm them down as they slowly passed. You didn’t have the right tools to save these men and you were mad. Eventually you heard your specific call. The call for the surgeon. You shot your head to the direction and ran, dodging bullets and flying rocks. Eugene sat by a man with his all of his insides hanging you. You stared at looked at the man who called.

“Hold this man’s wrist and keep his pulse for me.” You said as you pulled out a sterile water container to clean off the intestines from dirt. You started to shove them back into place, listening to the man scream. You looked at him and touched his face with one of your hands. “Listen to me, you’re going to be okay. I’m here.” You told him. He looked at you with bloodshot eyes and tear stained cheeks. You gave him a shot of morphine before calling for a stretcher. You immediately grabbed your reserve blanket that had never been used. You placed the plastic casing aside and put the fairly sterile blanket on the man’s wound, covering it up with the plastic. The stretcher came and you quickly wrapped a large bandage around him to keep it in place. You quickly grabbed your one and only plasma bottle out and handed it to one of the aids. You quickly stuck it in the man’s arm and looked to him one last time.

“You’re going to be okay,” you looked to the medic’s holding the stretcher and the plasma bottle. “Get this man out of here now.” You shouted, watching them leave. You looked to Eugene who stared at you. You had no time to stare back and began to run as fast as you could.

The battle was over almost as quickly as it had started. Your supplies were running dry when you took inventory. Eugene met up with you, standing and watching you count your supplies on a fairly flat rock.

“Y/N?” He asked. You kept counting. “Y/N!” He shouted. You stopped counting and looked at him.

“What do you want Eugene?” You shouted back. He took a step back noticing your once heavenly eyes now hardened with trauma. 

“You know you’ve been hit…” He trailed off. You looked to your arm and noticing a bullet lodged in your bicep. You groaned, pulling aside a sulfur pack and a small thing of gauze. Eugene watched at you took care of yourself, popping the bullet out and dressing it. You quickly placed what you had left in your bags and left Eugene behind, heading straight to one of the sergeants. They looked at you.

“How are you fixed?” They immediately asked. You told them the unfortunate news and the nodded. “Ask around for supplies. When the Navy gets here, you’ll get resupplied.” They told you. You stared at them as they walked away.

“I am the fucking Navy.” You told them before heading back to Eugene. He was sitting with the others when you plopped yourself down next to him. You all were waiting to leave this traumatic hell.

It began to rain as you all stood up and got ready to leave. Rations were eaten beforehand and you all put on your rain shawls. You stood there wearing yours, ready to ask why you had to wear one since it interfered with your duties. You sighed realizing that if it weren’t for it, your gear would get wet and would become useless. You walked between Eugene and Burgin as you headed out. Your hands were shielded by the raincoat as you walked, seeing though you had no weapon.

The walk was silent and you waited for it to be broken by something like an order or Eugene asking how you slept. Something.


	13. Blisters

The silence was never broken, even when you hit a base camp where you could rest, resupply, and properly treat wounds. You walked behind Eugene and watched him light a cigarette. You remember the days when he would reject it and said that he would never be a smoker. You laughed to yourself and you told yourself “what a bastard.”

The Company’s stopped and they yelled for corpsmen to be on blister duty, checking men for blisters on their feet and taking care of them. Then you were promptly given the morning off to eat and relax before heading off again.

In the chow hall, you found Eugene and sat next to him. He had lost his cigarette and at up his meal as fast as he could, not caring if he’d sick or not. You watched in him in silence, not touching your food. He never made eye contact with you so staring at him became a pointless activity while the food was getting more or less cold. You scooped up what you could before you were called off. Eugene finally looked at you when you stood up, not eating more than two bites of your food.

“You’re not going to eat?” He asked you after swallowing. You stopped and didn’t look at him.

“Apparently not. Enjoy it, Sledge.” You told him. He looked at your food and took it, keeping it safe.

You walked out of the chow hall and found several men waiting to be checked up on. With an empty stomach, you could handle the sight of rocks, sticks, and small pieces of shrapnel that was stuck in their feet. You pulled them out and dressed the men for about thirty minutes before you were thanked and dismissed. You stood in the aid tent alone, wiping your hands from whatever substances stained them. You heard someone walk inside the tent and you turned around, still wiping your hands clean.

“What seems to be the issue?” You asked.

“You didn’t bother to finish your breakfast.” The man said. You looked up and saw Eugene standing there with your plate. You sighed and smiled at him. He walked over to you and handed it over, letting you eat in peace. His hands placed themselves in his pockets as he slowly rocked back and forth on his heels.

“Thank you. I’m starving.” You told him. He nodded and found an empty bed and sat on it. You looked at him before snapping your fingers. “Hey, you can’t be on that unless if you’re injured.” You told him. He raised an eyebrow at you.

“I just walked for several days straight. At least I can sit on here.” He told you. You couldn’t do anything and brushed it off quickly. As soon as you finished your meal, you set the tray down by the front door on the small table next to it.

“Come on, I’m on blister watch. Take your boots off.” You instructed Eugene. He followed your orders and of course he had to have one pustulating right on his heel. You sighed and looked over the rest of his feet. They were disgusting and you wanted to scold him but there was nothing he could do about it. You looked at him and sighed.

“This is going to hurt because how large and how many there are.” You told him. He nodded as you grabbed a clean scalpel and began to cut into them. Of course, being the baby you always knew him as, he started screaming. You looked at him like he was an idiot.

“No, keep going. I want this over with.” He told you. You rolled your eyes and kept at it. They drained quickly and you quickly grabbed some alcohol wipes to clean them out. You threw away the dirty cotton bandages that soaked up whatever was inside of the boils and began to cut off the now-dead skin. Eugene watched as you patched him up. You walked over to the footlocker in the tent and found clean socks and more bandages. You wrapped his feet up in the bandages before putting the dry socks on. He sat up and smiled.

“You know, if I did that to my father, he would’ve gone a lot slower.” Eugene laughed, putting his boots back on. You wiped off your hands again and smiled.

“Yeah? Well, your father is one hell of a doctor.” You told him. Eugene nodded before the two of you headed out together. He went to go sit down next to his friends while you walked around. You pushed one of the Seabees out of the way, asking the men if they had any Japanese souvenirs. He yelled at you before you turned around.

“I am a Naval Surgeon. You stand down or I will make you stand down.” You told him. He stared at you before heading off to more Marines, who promptly told him to fuck off. You watched the Seabee wander off before you turned back to the Marines, who were waiting for you to talk.

“Men, take your boots off. I’m checking for blisters.” You announced. The men groaned before sighing in relief as they took their boots off. You headed for Burgin first. You picked his feet up without hesitation and inspected it carefully. 

“How’s it looking?” He asked you. You set his foot down and smiled.

“You’re good. You have a small one forming but it’s not an issue.” You told him. You passed by Eugene who was writing in his Bible and headed for Snafu. You grabbed his feet and looked at them.

“Am I going to die, Doc?” He asked jokingly. You looked up at him.

“Do you want to?” You asked him. He laughed a bit before taking his foot back.

“It seems like I already have. There’s an angel right in front of me.” He teased. You rolled your eyes before taking his foot back and pushing him backwards as hard as possible. He landed with another thud and you got up to look at his foot.

“You need to learn how to shut up and let me work.” You told him. He laid on the ground, letting you inspect his feet. You dropped his foot and stared at him.

“You’re such a wonderful doctor.” He told you. You laughed a bit.

“Vous etes un trou du cul merveilleux.” You told him. He winked before you moved onto the next man. And the next. And the next. Until you stopped caring about whether the men had blisters or not because they would just get more and destroy their feet.

You headed back for the trio of men you now called family and sat down between Snafu and Eugene. You looked over Eugene as he wrote. He turned his Bible to you to let you read what he wrote and you smiled a bit. You gently took the book and his pencil and flipped to the very last page. It was blank. You began to write, hiding what you were writing from Eugene as he peered over.

“You’re a star, Eugene Sledge. The only star I look to in the sky.”

You closed the Bible and gave it back to him before looking at Snafu who was still picking at his feet. You looked at him.

“Snaf,” You got his attention. “Dois-je regarder a nouveau tes pieds?” You asked him. He grinned.

“Non, mon cheri. Vous pouvez jeter un oeil a autre chose.” He told you. You stared at him, determining whether to laugh or to hit him hard. You rolled you eyes before you lunged forward to grab a decent sized rock and threw it at him.

“Dieu vous regarde et rit.” You told him before relaxing back down by Eugene. He continued to write as you rested your head on his shoulder, watching him slow his writing down. Your quick relaxation was cut off when someone yelled your name. You looked up and saw your CO standing right in front of you. He wore a bandage on his arm and another across his face.

“Sir, it’s so good to see you.” You stood up immediately. He nodded and inhaled.

“I guess I could almost say that to you. You’re looking alive and well.” He said. 

“Yes, sir. I’m not injured except for a bullet hole in my arm.” You responded. He twitched his head for you to follow and you did after excusing yourself. You walked next to your CO as he went on and on about how he got injured.

“When we landed on the beach, I ran up to the hill to take care of a man before getting hit right in my shoulder. It destroyed my entire arm so when I get back stateside, they said I’ll have to get it amputated. And then when I was taken off of the front lines, I got dropped on my the stretcher and had a mortar blast sending pieces of metal onto my face, almost taking my eye out.” He kept going and you stopped listening eventually, just nodding your head every once in awhile. Your mind ran wild thinking about the war you had just seen and you quickly excused yourself, knowing that if he kept going on, the thoughts would get worse.


	14. Shell Shocked

You ran back to the Marines and looked at them stare at you like you’ve seen a ghost. Eugene looked at you worried before standing up.

“What’s going on?” He asked you. You coughed trying to get past the muteness that had overcome you. He looked at you and slowly sat you down. You stared forwards, the images still playing over and over in your mind. He moved his hands from your shoulders and pulled you close into a hug.

“Shell,” you mustered out. “Shock.” You pressed your face into the crook of his neck and completely lost it. You started to cry heavily into him before pulling away from him. He looked at you scared.

“Y/N… It’s okay, there’s no mortars, no gunfire. Nothing can get you.” Eugene spoke to you softly. You sat in front of him, wiping your tears away before standing up.

“I need to get back to the front lines. If I don’t, I’m going to go insane.” You looked at Eugene. Ack Ack, who was asleep next to him looked at you.

“Hey, Doc. We’re heading out soon. Don’t worry.” He said. You nodded and sat there for a split second before getting up and running to the aid tent. You quickly stocked up on more supplies before rushing out, ready to go. Eugene looked at you and stood up. 

“You’re one hell of a medic, Y/N.” He told you. You smiled and nodded.

“You can thank yourself for that. I did this for you.” You said. 

“And Sidney.” Eugene added. You shook your head.

“No. Only you.” You reiterated before swallowing the lump in your throat away.

The Marines were pulled out of the peace and put back into the war torn terrain. You sat there waiting for the call for the corpsman. Nothing came for you as you stayed back. You watched as Eugene and the rest of the mortarmen began setting up near a large concrete fixture. They stopped and inspected the concrete bunker before you saw several men wreak havoc by blowing it up with a grenade. One of your men blew their face up and you ran to help him. Eugene got to him and you ran to help drag him to a nearby foxhole. A Japanese soldier came running out as you were dragging the injured, and screaming, man away from danger. You don’t know who did it, but the Japanese man was dead and dropped on top of Eugene, making him freak out. You forgot the dead man and went to the injured. You cleaned his wound off before calling for a stretcher to take him away. By the time the man was taken away to heal up, you looked to Eugene who stared off in the distance. You looked to where his sight fixed itself on and found men with flamethrowers catching men on fire. You almost threw up at the sight of it and looked down. You felt a hand on your shoulder, shaking you back to reality. Eugene had caught you off guard as you began to hyperventilate. You turned to Eugene.

“I want to go home. I want to go to Mobile. I want this to be over with.” You told him. He nodded and picked you up out of the foxhole so you two could move along.

“I know, Y/N. I know. I do too and I want to see Sidney again.” He told you. You held onto his hand tightly as you two walked on.

By the time you had a chance to rest, you had lost so many men and you had lost your sanity. It wasn’t from saving lives, no. That gave you hope for a better tomorrow. It was the idea of losing men because you couldn’t do anything. You sat next to Eugene, resting your head on his shoulder. His head rested on yours as you two stared straight ahead. Eugene looked down at you and gave you a small kiss on the top of your head before trying to open a can of rations. He had a hard time opening it before you took it a popped it open, handing it back. He thank you silently and you replied with a soft you’re welcome. Your head popped up when you heard the sound of rocks hitting water. You looked behind you and saw Snafu dropping rocks into the empty cranium of a dead Japanese soldier. The sight disgusted you and is disgusted you even more when Eugene got up to steal some gold from another soldier’s mouth. The two had a violent exchange before Eugene sat down next to you. You looked at him and then stood up, taking a rock, and smashing the teeth out of the dead soldier’s mouth. You got the gold and handed it to Eugene.

“What am I going to do with these?” Eugene asked you. You looked at him with softened eyes.

“Make me a wedding ring from them.” You told him. He stared at you astonished before quickly pocketing the gold. You sat there in silence, praying that you and Eugene could get out as soon as possible.

War zone after war zone increased your trauma even more. You couldn’t save more than two men out of the dozens murdered violently in the clash. When you pulled out with the other men and were promised to be taken back for rehabilitation, you had lost your fun and spark you once had before the war started. So did Eugene and so did everyone else. You sat in the boat next to Eugene, refusing to get up and do your duties as a Naval surgeon. As you two sat in the boat, Eugene wrapped his arm around you, letting you rest your head on his shoulder (where it commonly found itself). He rested his head on yours holding your hand in his free one. Snafu looked at you two and smiled.

“You two gonna get married when you two get home?” He asked. Burgin, who sat next to him, looked up and looked at you and Eugene. You stayed silent and stared at the the ground in a shell-shocked stare.

“I’ll have to ask her parents.” Eugene said looking at Snafu. “But yeah. Yeah, I’m gonna marry her.” He said. A small smile crept across your face which got Snafu going.

“Mon cheri is smilin’. Louange au seigneur!” He shouted, laughing. You lifted your head up and laughed.

“Mon bonheur est-il quelque chose qui souleve vos esprits?” You asked him. Snafu leaned back, smiling like an idiot.

“Oui.” He said, taking a drag from a cigarette.


	15. Reenlistment

The ship docked after several hours of cramped sitting. You got up with the help of Eugene and you walked off to head for shore. You walked onto the ground, almost kissing it. You were so happy to be away from constant death and rock. It was nice to see grass for once. Eugene stopped you from looking around and pointed to the naval nurses handing out small cups of lemonade. You immediately recognized them and rushed up to them. You shouted their names and immediately got their attention. Their mouths opened and eyes widened as you ran to them. The hugged you, despite your torn uniform, dirtied and bloodied everything, and your sweat stained body. They were so excited to see you and asked you how everything was, but before you could tell them, you were called away by the Marines. You excused yourself and followed the call.

You met up with the men before one of your ‘sergeants’ who placed a hand on your shoulder. 

“Go get cleaned up. You’ve been put in for a purple heart for your bullet wound on your arm.” He said. You nodded and began to walk away when he stopped you from heading to Burgin, Snafu, and Eugene.

“Y/N,” He said. You turned around. “You’re getting sent home. You’re time is up. And the Navy, along with the Marine Corps, is giving you an honorary doctorate degree for your time here in the Pacific. Congratulations, Doc.” He told you. You stared at him in saddened shock before nodding.

“When do I leave, sir?” You asked. He looked at the three Marines waiting for you to join them.

“Today after dinner. 1900 hours. You’re being sent to California where you’ll ride the train all the way home.” He told you. You nodded and headed back to the group, ready to tell them the news.

“Don’t worry about telling us. We heard.” Snafu told you. Burgin smiled at you.

“Congratulations, Doc. I’m sure Mobile will welcome you back with warm arms.” He told you. You looked to Eugene who was about to hug you.

“I’m not going home. Not without making sure you three are safe.” You told them.

“You have to follow orders, Doc.” Snafu said. You looked at him and laughed a bit.

“I know my way around the two branches. I can get my residency extended until the war is over or when you all go home.” You told them. You held your finger up before running after the sergeant. You talked to him and ask who you could talk to to continue your enlistment. He stared at you like you were crazy, clearly seeing you were shell-shocked, but directed you to the direction of where to talk.

After hours of persuasion for the Chief Medical Doctor, he pulled some papers for you and thanked you for your service. He smiled and handed over extra papers.

“You’re going to have to stay on the boat you were originally stationed on. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to leave your Marines behind in order to stay in the service until the end of the war.” He said. You nodded, understanding well.

“Yes, sir. Thank you very much, sir. You won’t regret it.” You told him, folding your papers up and putting them in your only undestroyed pocket on your uniform that also held your letters from Eugene.

“I know I won’t regret it. We’ve all heard of the female Naval Surgeon, Y/N Y/L/N. You’re a legend here and we’d be honored to have you.” He said. You nodded before saluting and leaving to go to the uniform exchange to get your new uniforms and new battle assignments.

You quickly got your new uniform that didn’t look a thing like your combat uniform. Instead of the Army green, it was blue with a white labcoat. You were given your new schedule before you were given the rest of the day off. It was the same ole things you did before you were sent off with the Marines. Which, with being with them so long, made you an Honorary USMC member.

You left the aid tent and went to find Eugene and the other two men before they shipped off to the last stopping point before mainland Japan, Okinawa. You caught up with them and you looked at them when they noticed your uniform. They left you alone with Eugene, who was saddened by your attire change.

“I’m going to miss you, Y/N.” He told you. You smiled slightly and grabbed his hands

“Please be safe. I’ll be here for when you’re done.” You said. He nodded before he pulled you in for a tight hug and when you pulled away, he kissed you hard, hoping that this was not the last time he could do that. When he fully pulled away he placed a hand on your cheek.

“I love you, Y/N.” He told you softly. You laughed a bit as you teared up. He was called away before you could tell him it back. He looked at his division before running to them. Once regrouped, he looked at you once again. “I’m gonna marry you when we get back home!” He shouted. You let tears fall and waved to him as they moved out.

“I love you, Eugene Sledge. I always have.” You whispered to yourself.


	16. Demotion

As soon as the Marines left the safe haven of wherever you were stationed at, you busied yourself with doctor’s work. Which was sit around and listen to the other doctors, mind you they were all men, go on about how they have it easy. They kept asking you if you were a legitimate doctor and you stared at them like they were complete idiots.

“Why wouldn’t I be a real doctor?” You asked them. They laughed at you while holding their lit cigarettes in their hands. They leaned in with large grins.

“Deary, you’re not a doctor. Women can’t be doctors.” One of them said. You leaned in your chair and looked at them with your tongue pressed to the inside of your cheek. Your arms were placed inside your coat’s pockets are you sat in the chair.

“Oh, you’re making her mad.” The other one said. They laughed at each other’s jokes and stared at you silently when you stood up, sending the chair flying back. You picked the chair up and slammed it into one of the doctors, knocking him down, and grabbed the other by his shirt, pulling him close.

“I have seen more men die that you have spent years kissing your parents’ feet. I have seen more blood and heard more cries than your mother has heard when you decided to prance around medical school. I am more of a doctor than you two ever will be. So listen here, Doctor, why can I not be a doctor?” You asked him, letting go of the shirt and backing up. They panted and stared at you.

“Women aren’t usually doctors. It was just a joke.” The man whose shirt you grabbed spoke up. You rolled your eyes and chuckled before punching him straight in the face.

“Do you think this war is a joke? Because if it is, I will gladly put you in for a transfer to the front lines to see that this war? Is not. A fucking. Joke.” You shouted at him before rushing out of the tent and straight to the Chief Medical Officer. 

You walked into his tent as he filed paperwork. You saluted and asked for permission to speak. He stared at you and noticed the blood and splinters on your hands. He frowned.

“What did you do?” He asked you. You looked straight forward, anger still plastered on your face.

“I’m requesting a demotion.” You told him. He excused his secretary that helped him with the paperwork and stood up from behind his desk.

“Demotion?” He laughed. “A demotion for you is combat surgeon. You’re crazy to go ba--”

“I request a demotion, sir.” You told him. He stared at you and sat back down.

“Fine. Only if you tell me why your fists are covered in blood and splinters, Doctor.” He spoke to you sternly. You inhaled.

“The other two Doctors taunted me. I relieved my anger and frustration on them.” You said, still staring forward. Your Chief Medical Officer sighed heavily.

“You’re demoted, Doctor. I’ll have you shipped out to the warzone immediately. Now get out of my tent.” He said, shooing you, and headed back to his paperwork. You saluted and walked towards the exit. You turned around, holding the tent flap.

“I broke one of your chairs by the way.” You told him. He looked up at you in silence as you walked out, not expecting to hear a response. 

You walked out of the tent and back down the road, going to aid tent. The two doctors patched each other up as you walked in, scared you were going to hit them again. Instead, you dropped your coat on the ground and grabbed your gear that you were instructed to keep, refilling your supplies. You looked at the men in silence before walking out. You shut the door, stopped right in front of it, opened it again, and gave the two the middle finger before heading out towards the docks where you were ready to go fuck shit up. You were tired of everything but being stationary and not busy made you even more tired and more angry than you already were.


	17. Different

You made it to the docks and waited for about an hour for a boat to pick you up. It was a small boat that was instructed to take you to a Destroyer about a mile out from shore. You sat in the back of the boat as the captain of it drove you as fast as possible. You looked back at the disappearing land before facing forward, ready to keep going.

You climbed up the ropes they had on the side, letting you hoist yourself up. Once aboard, the sailors saluted you and wished you luck. You could only imagine what hell was to be paid on Okinawa. But you were ready to go out and do what you were meant to do.

The trip to Okinawa took several hours where you sat around topside, watching the sun set and rise on the horizon, watching the waves crash up on the side of the ship, and watching for incoming land. With a clean uniform and a full medical bag, there was nothing for you to do other than wait. Part of you were excited to see the war zone again. And that part was the fact you knew you were saving the dying and wounded.

You arrived to the shore of Okinawa sooner than later. You were dropped off and sent to shore on a rowboat with two other sailors. You thanked them and headed inland to find the Marines. It took you little to no time to find the aid station filled with wounded men and Marine Doctors. They looked at you as you walked to them.

“Doctor Y/L/N, reporting for combat duty. I’m to be put on the front lines.” You told them. Their brows furrowed in confusion before a gunnery sergeant walked up to you.

“You don’t want to go out there.” He told you. You looked at him with a blank expression.

“I don’t want to. I need to.” You said. He inhaled and nodded, before taking you to the front lines. You saw smoke and heard the war going at it. You thanked the sergeant before running off to a familiar face you saw in the back. 

“Burgie!” You yelled. He turned around quickly and saw you running. Staring at you like a mad man, he ran up to you.

“What the hell are you doing here?” He asked you.

“I’m ready to be put out there.” You announced. He nodded and turned around to point at the hill the men were heading up, waiting for a Japanese attack and ambush.

“Stay back here and await any men. If there are civilians, take them in first. Understand?” He said. You nodded and noticed a small house.

“Did you lay mortars on that house?” You asked. He looked at you and nodded.

“Sledge did.” 

Your stomach dropped at his comment, but he knew he didn’t do it out of sheer will. You nodded understandingly and then saw several Japanese soldiers come flying out from hiding. You watched as men shot at them. It had to be done was what you told yourself, but Christ Almighty did you want to say no. You sighed and were taken up the mountain to check for civilians. You noticed Eugene and Snafu standing around, guns ready to shoot.

“Fancy seeing you two here.” You said, not realizing that they had gone through even more hell. Snafu pulled his gun up at you before relieving his stress. Eugene looked at you and smiled, close to crying.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Eugene asked you.

“I have to keep my promise. I’m making sure you’re getting out of here alive.” You told him. He hugged you and you gave a hug to Snafu before hushing them. There was a baby’s cry that got your attention. The two men discussed the possibility of a trap and you looked at them like they were crazy.

“It’s a baby for crying out loud.” You told them, walking straight into the mortared house, not expecting any traps. There was a small baby crying on the floor, clearly suffering from shock and from a dead mother. You picked it up carefully and held it, staring at the two men who looked as if they were about to shoot it.

“You two better have more sense when you go home.” You told them, bouncing the baby in your arm. You walked out of the house, leaving the two alone, before Snafu came out shortly after you. He walked up to you and looked at the baby.

“He looks like one of them.” He told you. The baby had stopped crying and looked at Snafu.

“They’re Okinawans. They’re not Japanese. We were taught that Japan took them over by force.” You told him. Snafu nodded, understandingly. Burgin came over to you and looked at the baby.

“Don’t tell me you’re about to adopt him.” He asked you. You shook your head no. The baby had fallen asleep, making small whimpers.

“I have to check him for injuries. Then I’ll take him to find a family to take care of him.” You told Burgin. Another sergeant walked up to you.

“You found an orphaned baby?” He asked. You nodded. “I’ll take care of him.” He said, reaching for the kid. You stepped back, covering the baby.

“No, what are you going to do to him?” You asked. The sergeant dropped his hands.

“I’m going to send him back to the group of civilians we have and see if one of them will take them.” The sergeant said. Burgin placed a hand on your shoulder giving you reassurance. You hesitantly gave the baby over, telling him goodbye, and watching the sergeant take him away. Eugene came out of the house eventually and made eye contact with you, Burgin, and Snafu from the porch of the destroyed house. He stepped down from it and walked past you three to continue on the destruction of Japanese forces on Okinawa.


	18. Finished

You sat on the ground awaiting orders, watching Eugene polish up his rifle. You were always curious as how to fire one, but you had no use or desire to kill something. Your attention was drawn to a Japanese soldier who looked no older than sixteen years of age running out, holding his hands up. You watched as Eugene stood up and took aim at the kid. Your brow furrowed as you watched him, waiting for you to shoot him. You stood up and looked at him before clearly walking in front of his firearm and over to the boy, hands up. He stared at you scared, ready to die at any moment.

“Hello.” You told the boy gently. He looked at you and smiled a bit. You looked at the blood that stained his neck, looking for a wound. He let down his guard and lost all of his tension. You held out your hand.

“I’m here to help you.” You told him. He took your hand and before you could do anything else, someone shot him straight in the head, getting his brain and blood all over the wall and you. You stared down at the dead boy in horror before shooting your head over to the man who shot him, expecting it to be Eugene. It wasn’t, to your benefit. Instead, it was a fresh replacement who shouted in joy to have finally killed his first Japanese soldier. You ran to him and pushed him over.

“What the hell is your problem?” You shouted. He looked at you.

“We’re here to kill them, aren’t we?” He asked you, up close and personal. You watched as him and three others went to the deceased boy and searched him for souvenirs. They complained about him being empty and looked to you. You stared at them angrily as Eugene began to hyperventilate.

“No shit he’s empty. He was surrendering himself to us!” You shouted. “You killed the boy, you son of a bitch!” The soldiers stared at you.

“How the fuck do you know he wanted to surrender?” The shooter asked. You shook your head.

“You’re a daft asshole. Did you not see him accepting my help?” You shouted back. Eugene walked back to you, pushing you back. You watched him confront the two men before coming close to beating the shit out of them. Burgin ran up to him, pulling him back, and dragging him to you. You exchanged glances with Eugene before walking off with Burgin. 

You were all up that night waiting for more orders. There were orders to get showered and there were orders to eat. The ones you thought you would never hear this soon came to you as well. Japan had surrendered. Men celebrated but the four of you (Burgin, Eugene, and Snafu) sat on the edge of cliff watching out on the peaceful sea. You stood looking out over the cliff with your hands in your pockets. Eugene wrote in his Bible while Burgin and Snafu sat on a rock smoking.

“Mon cheri, you want a smoke?” Snafu asked. You turned around and looked at him smiling.

“No thank you, Snaf,” You said, turning around. You shot your head back. “You know, what is your actual name?” You asked him. He laughed a bit.

“Mon cheri is finally being personal. Merriell Shelton.” He told you. You nodded.

“Merriell. You are one wild son of a bitch.” You told him. He toasted to you with his cigarette. You laughed a bit and directed your attention to Burgin.

“You are one hell of a person, Y/N.” Burgin told you. You smiled and winked at him. He looked to Eugene, who looked at you and then to Burgin. “You gonna invite me to the wedding right?” He joked around. Eugene laughed with a pipe in his mouth.

“Yeah, Burgie. You can come. We’ll send you an invitation.” He replied. You turned around and stared at the horizon as the sun slowly came up. You smiled and walked back up the hill and through the rocks the others were sitting on.

“Come on, we’re heading out soon.” You told them. Snafu and Burgin followed you and walked ahead of you when you stopped. You looked at Eugene who grabbed his things slowly. He looked to you once he hopped from his rock. You smiled and held out your hand, which he took. 

“You never break promises, do you?” He asked you. You looked forward, heading to the trucks.

“Never. Promises are made to never be broken, Gene.” You told him. He pulled you close and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. As you two got to the trucks, you were helped up by Burgin and in turn, you helped up Eugene. 

When the trucks arrived to the Allied base set up on Okinawa, you were all unloaded immediately. You found your tents, which you had managed to get one with Eugene and the other two, and were given your chow for the night; steaks and coke. You were excited to finally eat something that wasn’t rations but before you knew it, the sight of the blood and juice from the steak made you sick. Eugene watched as you stood up and ran out of the chow hall, throwing up whatever you had in you. You stood up and wiped your mouth off before looking to the three staring at you. You hobbled back to the table and slid the plate over to Eugene.

“Here. It’s all yours now.” You told him. He took it and traded you his sides of peas, carrots, and mashed potatoes. You thank him and picked at it slowly, hoping you wouldn’t have to jumped up to run back outside again.

When the movie eventually started for everyone, most men didn’t go. Instead, they broke out whatever alcohol they could find. Eugene took your hand and dragged you to the a couple of rocks that Burgin and Snafu were already perched on. 

“Evenin’ fellas.” You told them. They greeted you back. Eugene climbed up onto the rock before reaching a hand down to help you up.

“Hey, aren’t you going to properly propose to her?” Burgin asked, pointing to you. Eugene looked at Burgin then to you before hopping down off the rock. He got on one knee in front of you and you smiled brighter than the nighttime stars.

“Y/N, we have been friends since the moment I could form memories. You were always there for me and this war has shown me what you really mean to me. And what I mean to you. You are my best friend and I absolutely am thrilled to know that you were always there for me through hell and back. And I was wondering if you would like to go home and be with me in heaven and peace.” Eugene asked you. You laughed and nodded.

“Eugene Sledge, I’d be damned if I didn’t say yes.” You told him. He stood up quickly and hugged you before he gently rested his hand on the small of your back and the back of your neck, giving you a gentle kiss on the cool and starry night. Burgin and Snafu both cheered as you two shared a romantic kiss.

“How many kids are y’all gonna have?” Snafu asked. You stared at Snafu like he was crazy.

“Let us at least get out of this hell hole.” You told him, laughing. Eugene laughed too before giving you another kiss and looking straight into your eyes lovingly.


	19. Stateside

The four of you were eventually put onto a ship and sent home to the States. When you arrived, you had dressed in your Naval dress blues. You walked between Burgin and Eugene as men and women, along with a lot of children, welcomed you and the rest of the military personnel home.

From the port in California, you were all put onto a train that would take the southerners home. The four of you found residence in a dining car. When Burgin and Snafu put their belongings up in the storage compartment above the table you sat at, they left to get all of you drinks and meals. You sat down next to Eugene. His hands propped his head up in a clasp as you sat, twirling your fingers.

“What am I going to tell your parents?” Eugene asked you. You looked at him and smiled.

“All you have to do is ask them if you can have me as a wife. They love you very much, Gene. I highly doubt they’ll tell you no.” You replied. He smiled and looked back at you.

“Well if you didn’t know already, but I love you very much.” He said. You chuckled a bit.

“I hope you do. If not, we’d have a serious issue.” You retorted. He moved his hands from under his chin and took one of yours in one of his hands. Burgin and Snafu, after getting slapped for a lewd comment, returned discussing how it wasn’t fair how late they got home and how none of the pretty girls were saved for them. You laughed to yourself before having plates of food put in front of you. It looked so good and you immediately dug in. Burgin talked about his broad from Australia being shipped over to him. The three of you stared at him and told him why he’s bringing it up now.

“Figured it would be bad luck to bring it up on Okinawa.” He said. The three of you understood as you slowly ate your food. Snafu started staring at the girl he told the comment to.

“I’m gonna get that girl.” He said. You looked over at her and then back at Snafu.

“She doesn’t want you.” You told him. 

“Just you watch, mon cheri.” He replied back. Eugene pointed his fork at Snafu.

“Hey, stop calling my fiancee ‘mon cheri’. If you want that girl, call her mon cheri.” Eugene said. Snafu looked at him silently and took a drag from his cigarette. Meanwhile the men talked, you looked out the window at the passing scenery. It was nice to finally be stateside after being overseas for almost five years. 

“So what do you have planned, Doc?” Burgin asked you, taking a bite of mashed potatoes. You swallowed what food you had in your mouth and diverted your attention to Burgin.

“I’ll probably go back to the hospital with the papers the Marine Corps and the Navy gave me and ask for a job as a doctor.” You took another bite.

“What? You’re not gonna be a surgeon anymore?” Snafu asked. You looked at him.

“I think I’ve seen enough blood for a lifetime,” You took a sip of water. “But if they need me for it, I’ll be more than willing to help.” You smiled and looked to Eugene. He was smiling big before taking another bite of food.

A couple of hours passed before Burgin’s stop came up. He pointed out his little brother and his father and the fact that Florence was not there yet. He stood up from his seat once the train fully stopped to grab his things. He placed his jacket on and headed out with a silent goodbye. As he headed out Snafu turned around in his seat to thank him for being there and making sure their heads weren’t blown off. Burgin almost started to cry and nodded.

“You’re good Marines.” He told the two before heading off the train. When he got off, the three of you watched as he hugged his kid brother and shook his father’s hand. After a quick second, the train started up again and it was off to the next stop.

Night eventually came and you found Eugene asleep on the seat next to you. You and Snafu sat in silence, busying yourself with the quick changing scenery or with other entertainment like books. You yawned and looked to Snafu.

“Hey, wake us up when it’s your stop.” You told him. He looked to you and then back out the window as you slowly leaned against Eugene to sleep as well.

When you awoke from your sleep, Eugene was awake and holding you. You yawned and looked at him and then the seat in front of you. It was empty. You inhaled and looked at the floor.

“I told Shelton to wake us up when he left.” You trailed off. Eugene looked at you and rubbed your arm. He understood and stood up, grabbing both his and your things. 

“Our stop is coming up, dear.” He told you. You nodded and stood up on the still-moving train, dusting off your uniform. Then you stopped to think.

“Did you just call me dear?” You asked him. He twirled you to face him.

“Yes, I did, dear.” He told you, giving you one a quick kiss on the lips. The train eventually stopped and he carried your bag for you. You walked out of your cabin and down the aisle to the exit. Eugene went first, stepping on homeland territory first, and turned to help you out by offering you a hand.

Mobile, Alabama had not changed in the five years. The two of you walked slowly before seeing a very missed and much recognizable face. Eugene threw both of your bags at Sidney.

“You gonna take these or what?” Eugene asked. Sidney laughed and smiled at the two of you.

“We’ve missed you, Eugene,” He looked at Eugene then at you. “We’ve heard all about you, Y/N.” He told you. You smiled before laughing a bit. Sidney opened the front door and tossed your bags in the backseat as Eugene held the door open for you. You crawled in to sit in the middle followed by Eugene. Sidney hopped in, started to car up, and pulled out of the train station to take both of you home.

During the car ride, Eugene’s hand found yours and held it. It got Sidney’s attention and he turned to look at you quickly.

“So what, did you guys go steady during the war?” Sidney asked. You looked to Eugene who looked back at you.

“You could say that. Once I get home, I’m asking Y/N’s parents if I can marry her.” Sidney looked at you two again and slammed on the breaks, pulling over to the side.

“You two are getting married?” He shouted. “I leave the Pacific and you two hook up? What am I? A cockblock for you two?” He laughed. Eugene and you looked at Sidney and laughed.

“Maybe you are.” You told him, then pointed to the road. “And now you’re wasting precious time.” 

Sidney laughed and kept congratulating you two the entire trip to the backroads. After Sidney asked about Eugene’s pipe, he brought up Mary Houston. He asked what you two remembered about her besides the fact that she was a good friend of yours, just like every other girl in Mobile.

Then Sidney broke the news he was going to marry her. The two of you went wild as Eugene slammed his hand on the horn, accepting Sidney’s request to have him as his best man. 

Eventually Sidney stopped at your house first. Eugene got out of the car and helped you out, grabbing your things in the process. He said goodbye to you as you walked around the car. You smiled and thanked Sidney for picking the two of you up. Eugene got in the car and the two of them watched as you walked inside your front yard fence, hearing your mother shouting in French to your father to get his ass outside.

Your entire family came running out, hugging you, and falling to the ground in tears. They hadn’t heard a thing from you and only heard things about you. You started to cry and stood up with your family.

“My Y/N. Oh, my dear Y/N.” Your mother spoke to you in French. You smiled at her with tears falling from your eyes.

“Mama, I missed you so much. I’m sorry I didn’t write to you.” You replied back in the same language. She placed a hand on your cheek before looking at the car still in front of your house. Eugene closed his car door and walked over to your parents.

“Mr. and Mrs. Y/L/N,” he started. Your parents looked to him as he stood there antsy. “I would like to ask for your permission to marry, Y/N.” He got out. You looked at him and smiled. Your mother and father ran to him and hugged him tightly.

“We wouldn’t want any other man for our dear, Y/N.” They told him. He laughed a bit and smiled. You walked up to him once your parents parted. You kissed him gently before parting from him. He smiled and walked out of your yard, after thanking your parents, hitting every fence post possible. You laughed as he walked away and eventually drove away. Your parents ushered you inside the house quickly to ask about your adventures.

That night, you were invited over to the Sledge household for a celebratory meal and for the marriage announcement. You sat next to Eugene, not by coincidence at all. Halfway through the meal, Eugene removed his napkin from his lap, wiped off his mouth, and stood up. The talking died down and everyone stared at Eugene.

“I have an announcement to make,” He announced. “Y/N and I are getting married.” He sat down to delayed cheers and congratulations. You smiled when people directed their attention to you. You happily ate the rest of your meal, holding Eugene’s hand under the table. 

As your family left, Mrs. Sledge came up to you.

“Welcome to the family, Y/N.” She told you. You smiled and thanked her, giving her a hug in the process.


	20. Nightmares

You woke up the next morning and walked out ready for the day. Your mother and father looked at you as they stood in the kitchen of your home. You were dressed in a dark blue, floral-patterned dress, waiting for them to say something.

“Are you going to see Eugene?” Your mother asked you in French. You nodded.

“I won’t be home for a while.” You told them. They nodded and told you to have fun. You left the house and headed out after grabbing your purse and a small white coat. 

The morning was filled with birds chirping and the sun peaked through the trees. You were happy to finally be home and you smiled the entire half mile down the road to the Sledge household. When you arrived, you found Eugene sitting in his front yard, drinking some coffee. He stood up once he saw you walking down his driveway. You met up with him and gave him a small smile.

“Good morning, Gene.” You told him. He sat down and offered you the seat next to him. You sat down and held out your hand for him to take. He held onto it tightly and took a sip from his cup.

“Do you have the nightmares too?” You asked him silently. He stared in front of him.

“I do. I can never wake up from them.” He replied. You were interrupted by the door opening. When you turned around you found Mrs. Sledge walking over to the two of you.

“Good morning, Y/N.” She told you. You stood up and smiled.

“Good morning, Mrs. Sledge.” She gave you a hug, which you gladly returned.

“Have you come to discuss wedding preparations?” She asked you. 

“You read my mind, Mrs. Sledge.” You replied. Eugene looked at the two of you.

“Eugene, go get dressed. Your fiancee is here. At least make yourself presentable.” She said to her son. You stood up for him before he could reply.

“Mrs. Sledge, as a combat doctor, I have seen Eugene in torn uniforms covered in dirt and blood. It’s quite alright.” You told her. She stared at you with partially shocked and saddened eyes.

“My dear, you were a combat doctor?” She asked. You nodded.

“Yes, ma’am. I was a combat doctor and surgeon. I was always there when men called for a corpsman. And I was always there for Eugene.” You told her. Mrs. Sledge inhaled deeply and placed a hand on your cheek.

“My dear, you have seen much of the war, haven’t you?” She asked. You nodded and turned around when you noticed Dr. Sledge walking to you. Eugene had gotten up and stood next to you, watching his father walk up.

“Good morning, Y/N.” He told you. Before you could greet him back, Mrs. Sledge looked at her husband.

“Did you know that Y/N is a combat doctor?” She asked. Dr. Sledge looked at you with horror.

“How much have you seen?” He asked you. Eugene gently wrapped a hand around your waist and held you close.

“I’ve seen the whole war from Guadalcanal to Okinawa, sir.” You told him. He nodded.

“You get the nightmares too, then?” He asked you. You nodded slowly and smiled sadly. He looked to Eugene and sighed a bit.

“Come inside. There’s a lot of planning to do.” Mrs. Sledge ushered the group of you into the house. Eugene let go of you and followed behind you with his father. You overheard their conversation.

“You take care of yourself now. You are going to have a shell-shocked wife as well.” You turned your head slightly before facing front, keeping quiet. Mrs. Sledge sat you and Eugene down in the same living room you saw five years earlier when Pearl Harbor was hit. You sat down next to Eugene with Mrs. Sledge across from you in an arm chair.


	21. Together

The wedding was months later and you found yourself staying with Eugene and his family until you two found out what you two were going to do. Every night was filled with terrorizing nightmares from both you and Eugene’s trauma. You would wake each other up with your screams, calming each other down with hugs and kisses, telling each other that you were safe and nothing was coming for them. 

One morning, Dr. Sledge and Eugene headed out for bird hunting. Eugene told you he was afraid he’d break down from killing another animal. You told him to be strong and see what would happen. And that he was no less of a man if he couldn’t do it. You stayed behind with Mrs. Sledge to help clean the house and prepare desserts. You made her macarons, a traditional French sandwich cookie, when Dr. Sledge and Eugene came flying into the house. You ran to greet them when you heard Eugene sniffling. Mrs. Sledge ran to Dr. Sledge while you went for Eugene. He locked himself in your room. You knocked gently and entered to find him crying on his bed. You quickly ran to him to hold him.

“Gene, dear. I’m here. I’m here, don’t worry.” You told him, pressing his head to your chest, holding him close. You hushed him and talked to him gently, using your psychological calming effects the military taught you. He eventually calmed down and looked at you with tear-stained eyes.

“I couldn’t do it.” He told you. You placed a hand on his cheek and wiped away the remaining tears that fell. 

“I know, Gene. I know. And there are so many other hobbies you can pick up. How about birdwatching? I’ll join you.” You told him. He smiled and began to crying once more. You held him again, looking at the door noticing two shadows behind the door.

“We’ll go out tomorrow. Just the two of us.” You told him. He nodded and looked at you again. You smiled a bit. You stood up and headed for the door. “Your mother and I were going to go out and run some errands. I’ll be back soon, okay?” You told him. Eugene nodded and wiped his tears away before laying back on his bed.

The next day, you woke up next to Eugene. He was whimpering slightly, only to stop when you placed a kiss on his cheek. His eyes flitted open and looked over at you.

“Good morning, Gene.” You told him. He smiled gently before sitting up. “You ready to go bird watching?” You asked him. He nodded, rubbing his eyes. You opened the blinds in your room and looked outside. The sun was just coming up from the horizon, gently illuminating the land. You looked at Eugene, who was admiring you standing in your pajamas. You smiled gently before remembering you picked up a present for him.

“I got you something yesterday.” You told him. He tilted his head slightly in curiosity as you grabbed a small package. You handed it to him and smiled, sitting next to him on the bed. He opened it quickly and looked at the freshly printed book.

“Ornithology.” He trailed off, flipping through the pages. 

“Happy birthday, Eugene.” You told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. He licked his lips before setting the book down on the nightstand and kissed you passionately. 

The both of you headed out in a couple of hours for a field of flowers that was about three miles from home. The two of you held hands the entire way. Eugene held his book in his free hand as you held your purse in yours. 

The field was empty of people, leaving only wildlife like deer and birds. Eugene found a spot for you two to lay down and enjoy the sunlight. Your head rested on his arm as held his book with his hands. You looked at the book with him, enjoying reading something that wasn’t medical based.

Hours passed and he set the book next to you.

“What are we going to do, Y/N?” He asked you. You looked up at the sky.

“Well, I’ll start work at the hospital in town next week. Maybe we could get a house of our own since we’re starting a family.” You told him. He sat up quickly and stared at you.

“What? You’re pregnant?” He shouted. You laughed and smiled.

“Yeah, Eugene. I’m pregnant with your child.” You told him. He looked at you with the most happiness you had seen in years.

“How long have you known?” He asked.

“A couple of days. I wanted to make sure.” You told him. He laughed in shock before pushing you back down onto the ground, giving you a loving kiss in the grass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my friend Anna got to read this while I was writing it and we came up with so many extra stories that there may be little extra clips when I get back. Stay Tuned <3


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